Friction-clutch.



W. A. WILKINSON & A. H. IRVING.

FRICTION CLUTCH.

APPLICATION FILED NOV. 24, 1909.

Patented Dec. 13, 1910.

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UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

WILLIAM A. WILKINSON, OF MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA, AND ADAM HENRY IRVING,OF SPOKANE, WASHINGTON.

FRICTION-CLUTCH.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Dec. 13, 1910.

Application filed November 24, 1909. Serial No. 529,664.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, \VILLIAM A. 711.- KINSON and ADAM IIENRY IIWING,citizens of the United States, residing, respectively, at Minneapolis,I-lennepin county, Minnesota, and Spokane, Spokane county,lVashington,have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Friction-Clutches;and we do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exactdescription of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in theart to which it appertains to make and use the same.

Our invention has for its object to provide an improved friction clutchadapted for use to connect a pulley to a shaft or to connect theabutting ends of two alined shafts, and to this end it consists of thenovel devices and combinations of devices hereinafter described anddefined in the claims.

In the accompanying drawings, which illustrate the invention, likecharacters indicate like parts throughout the several views.

Referring to the drawings, Figure 1 is a view in side elevation, withsome parts broken away, showing the improved clutch; Fig. 2 is avertical section taken on the line m m of Fig. 1'; and Fig. 3 is anenlarged detail in section on the line 00' {v of Fig. 1.

In the drawings, the clutch is shown as applied to connect a drivingpulley to a driven shaft but it will, of course, be understood that itis capable of general use wherever a friction clutch is foundserviceable.

The numeral 1 indicates the driven shaft and the numeral 2 the drivingpulley. The pulley 2 is rigidly secured to a sleeve 3 journaled on theshaft 1 and held against endwise movements by a collar 1 and by the hubof a clutch wheel 5, and which parts 1 and 5 are rigidly secured by setscrews or otherwise to the said shaft. This clutch wheel 5 is providedwith a peripheral groove that is V-shaped in cross section.

Formed integral with or otherwise rigidly secured to the spokes of thepulley 2 is a bearing ring 6, to radially projecting lugs of whichclutch levers 7 are intermediately pivoted. As shown, there are three ofthese clutch levers, but the number thereof may, of course, be varied.

At their left hand ends, as viewed in Fig. 2, the clutch levers 7 areprovided withtransversely elongated pockets 8 in which the outer ends offrictionally acting clutch blocks 9 are seated with freedom for slightlateral and endwise swinging movements. The inwardly projecting edges ofthese clutch blocks J are segmental and V-shaped in cross section, sothat they will fit the V-shaped peripheral groove of the clutch wheel 5.To the inner ends of said blocks 9, metal plates 10 are secured,preferably, by means of screws 11. Short bolts 12 are passed throughcentral perforations in the plates 10 but their heads are seated inrecesses of the blocks 9, and the stems of these bolts are passedthrough externally threaded sleeves 13 and are provided with nuts 14 atthe outer ends of said sleeves. The said sleeves 13 have screw threadedengagement with the backs or outer portions of the pockets 8 andadjustments of said sleeves serve to move the clutch blocks near to orfarther from the clutch wheel, so as to properly set the said blocks inthe first place and, thereafter, to take up the wear of the blocks.These blocks, it may be here stated, are preferably made of hard wood,the grain of which runs at a right angle to the cooperating plates 10.The inner ends of the sleeves 13 are rounded and the fit correspondinglyconcave seats in the plates 10, so that a universal joint is providedpermitting the wedge shaped faces of the clutch blocks to be set forproper engagement with the groove in the clutch wheel and, thereafter,to be locked in such position by tightening the nuts 14: on the bolts12. The said clutch blocks are, therefore, arranged for radialadjustments in the plane of the clutch wheel and for rocking movementsin the said plane and transversely of the said plane. These adjustmentsare all that are ever required to properly set the clutch blocks forinitial action and to maintain the same properly set and to compensatefor wear of the blocks.

At their right hand ends, as viewed in Fig. 2, the clutch lovers 7 areconnected by short links 15 to the intermediate portions of short levers16, the inner ends of which are pivoted to laterally projecting lugs onthe bearing ring 6, and the outer ends of which are connected by links17 to a shipper collar 18, which latter is mounted to slide on thesleeve 3. The shipper collar 18 is provided with a groove in which isseated a non-rotary shipper ring 19 which, at its 110 shown. As isevident, when the shipper collar 18 1s moved inward, as shown in Fig. 2,

the clutch blocks 9 will be forced tightly against the grooved peripheryof the clutch wheel 5 and the pulley 2 will rotate the shaft 1. In thisposition, it will be noted, by reference to Fig. 2, that the lower endsof the links 17 are moved toward the left slightly beyond their deadcenters and, hence, will themselves hold the clutch set. When the clutchsleeve 18 is movedin its extreme position toward the right, the clutchblocks will be released from the grooved periphery of the clutch wheel 5and the pulley 2 will then rotate freely on the shaft 1 without rotatingthe latter. that the arrangement of the links 15, 17 and levers 16 aresuch that the clutch setting force incident to movement of the clutch ofthe shipper collar 18 toward the lever will be doubled.

The improved clutch described is of comparatively small cost and, inpractice, has been found highly eflicient for the purposes had in view.

lVhat we claim is:

1. The combination with rotary driving and driven members, of a clutchmechanism comprising a clutch wheel secured to one of said rotarymembers and having a grooved periphery, a clutch lever pivoted to theother rotary member, connections applied to one end of said lever formoving the same, and a brake shoe to fit the peripheral groove of saidclutch wheel and mounted in the other end of said lever with freedomItwill also be noted for radial and oscillatory adjustments in the planeof said clutch wheel and in respect to the said lever.

and driven members having a common axis, of a clutch wheel secured toone of said members and provided with a Vshaped annular groove in itsperipher a multiplicity of clutch levers intermediately pivoted to theother rotary member, brake shoes having V- shaped segmental faces forengagement with the groove of said clutch wheel, means securing saidbrake shoes to projecting ends of said levers with freedom for radialand oscillatory adjustments in the plane of said clutch wheel and foroscillatory adjustments transversely of the plane of said clutch wheel,a sleeve mounted to slide in respect to but to rotate with the rotarymember to which said levers are pivoted, intermediate levers pivoted tothe same rotary member, links connecting the outer ends of said intermediate levers to said sleeve, and links connecting the intermediateportions of said intermediate levers to the outer ends of said clutchlevers, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof we affix our signatures in presence of twowitnesses.

WILLIAM A. WILKINSON. ADAM HENRY IRVING.

Witnesses to the signature of William A.

lVilkinson Anion V. SwANsoN, HARRY D. KILeoRE.

2. The combination with rotary driving fitnesses to the signature ofAdam Henry Irving:

G. M. PEnDYooRD, GEO. W. BROWN.

